Three-dimensional (3D) movies and videos are becoming increasing prevalent in the marketplace. When a stereoscopic 3D movie or video is created, two different views of a scene are either captured by physical stereoscopic cameras or artificially generated by means of computer graphics. Typically, the distance (baseline) between the cameras is kept fixed during production according to the 3D visual effects desired by the filmmaker. At the time of viewing the 3D movie or video (e.g., on a 3D television by wearing active or passive 3D glasses), a viewer will experience a “default” depth perception effect as planned by the film or video maker. However, this default perceived depth may be significantly different for different viewers. For example, it may be too strong for a child, or too weak for some adults, or it may simply produce eyestrain or headache for some viewers. Also, if a 3D television is to be viewed at a certain distance from the screen (e.g., 3 meters) and the 3DTV is located in a small room, then the experienced 3D effect by the viewer might be compromised, or eyestrain may occur, because of the inability of the viewer to move away from the 3D television set.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved apparatuses and methods for adjusting the perceived depth of 3D video content.